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Autonomous shipping is introduced to increase the competitiveness of inland shipping and promote a modal shift toward sustainable transport. This innovation has the potential to disrupt the existing inland shipping industry paradigm. This paper identifies the characteristics of autonomous inland shipping through the lens of the diffusion of innovation theory. A systematic literature review, based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines methodology, was conducted. The existing literature aligns well with the theory and reveals most of the innovation variables and relevant actors. The result indicates that the literature on this topic is limited but still developing, and the paper presents opportunities for agendas in business, innovation, and transportation research. Further discussion shows industry implications, using a generalized transport cost model and stakeholder analysis to emphasize the motivations for sustainable transport through the adoption of autonomous shipping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Autonomous shipping is introduced to increase the competitiveness of inland shipping and promote a modal shift toward sustainable transport. This innovation has the potential to disrupt the existing inland shipping industry paradigm. This paper identifies the characteristics of autonomous inland shipping through the lens of the diffusion of innovation theory. A systematic literature review, based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines methodology, was conducted. The existing literature aligns well with the theory and reveals most of the innovation variables and relevant actors. The result indicates that the literature on this topic is limited but still developing, and the paper presents opportunities for agendas in business, innovation, and transportation research. Further discussion shows industry implications, using a generalized transport cost model and stakeholder analysis to emphasize the motivations for sustainable transport through the adoption of autonomous shipping.

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Abstract Pilot tests for (semi-)autonomous transport via inland waterways are already taking place in Belgium and other European countries. However, the full commercial implementation of autonomous inland shipping might be hampered by liability issues. The allocation of liability, especially extracontractual liability, is an important concern for shipowners who want to invest in autonomous barges, and for other ecosystem actors. For this reason, a balanced risk distribution framework could boost the investment decision. A legal analysis of the current laws and regulations is necessary to evaluate whether they can be applied to new autonomous systems. The research approach consists of two steps. First, an in-depth literature review is carried out to determine whether extracontractual liability research has already been conducted and to highlight the gaps in autonomous inland waterways transport studies. Once it is proved that the vast majority of the research focuses on technology, it can be affirmed that there is a need to inquire about extracontractual liability. In the second part, thus, the two international Conventions on liability limitation and collision in inland navigation are examined.

Pilot tests for (semi-)autonomous transport via inland waterways are already taking place in Belgium and other European countries. However, the full commercial implementation of autonomous inland shipping might be hampered by liability issues. The allocation of liability, especially extracontractual liability, is an important concern for shipowners who want to invest in autonomous barges, and for other ecosystem actors. For this reason, a balanced risk distribution framework could boost the investment decision. A legal analysis of the current laws and regulations is necessary to evaluate whether they can be applied to new autonomous systems. The research approach consists of two steps. First, an in-depth literature review is carried out to determine whether extracontractual liability research has already been conducted and to highlight the gaps in autonomous inland waterways transport studies. Once it is proved that the vast majority of the research focuses on technology, it can be affirmed that there is a need to inquire about extracontractual liability. In the second part, thus, the two international Conventions on liability limitation and collision in inland navigation are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals to the analysis of the new development related to EUSDR in the context of the new EU27 and the geo-political balance in Europe. The analysis covers representative economic indicators of the Danubian countries and specific indicators regarding the transport development’s trend on Danube. The comparative analysis is followed by regression and a cluster approach in order to obtain pertinent conclusions. The whole approach is based on the latest official statistical data, pertinent diagrams and tables. The main conclusion of the paper is that the disparities across EU27 are almost the same to those between Danubian countries and the future seems to be one of more confrontation than cooperation.

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Inland waterways ports are key elements of an efficient multimodal freight transportation system. Data on the capacity and throughput of inland waterway ports by commodity support effective long-term freight planning and travel demand modeling. More specifically, such data can be used to estimate multimodal commodity-based freight fluidity performance measures and to support location selection for freight transload facilities. State-of-the-practice means of obtaining commodity flows data, such as shipper/carrier surveys and vessel and vehicle movements, are limited in their ability to provide monthly or seasonal statistics on individual port operations; rather, they provide annualized statistics for river segments which may contain multiple ports. These limitations are addressed herein by developing a multicommodity assignment model to quantify commodity throughput at inland waterways ports. The model fuses waterborne lock performance monitoring system data, which provides the commodity dimension, and anonymous truck Global Positioning System (GPS) data, which allows for spatial disaggregation. A goal-programming approach minimizes the deviation between known and estimated truck flows at each port. The methodology was applied to the Arkansas River, a 308-mile navigable waterway served by 14 locks and 43 freight ports. Overall, 84% of ports showed less than 20% difference between observed and predicted truck flows. The model is applicable to any inland waterways system with aggregated commodity flow data and truck GPS coverage and fills a critical data gap by describing commodity throughput at inland waterway ports using publicly available data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of extreme weather events on the navigation environment in the inland waterways of the Yangtze River is an interdisciplinary hotspot in subjects of maritime traffic safety and maritime meteorology, and it is also a difficult point for the implementation of decision-making and management by maritime and meteorological departments in China. The objective of this study is to review the variation trends and distribution patterns in the periods of adverse and extreme weather events that are expected to impact on inland waterways transport (IWT) on the Yangtze River. The frequency of severe weather events, together with the changes in their spatial extension and intensity, is analyzed based on the ERA-Interim datasets (1979–2017) and the GHCNDEX dataset (1979–2017), as well as the research progresses and important events (2004–2016) affecting the navigation environment. The impacts of extreme weather events on IWT accidents and phenomena of extreme weather (e.g., thunderstorms, lightning, hail, and tornadoes) that affect the navigation environment are also analyzed and discussed. The results show that: (1) the sections located in the plain climate zone is affected by extreme weather in every season, especially strong winds and heat waves; (2) the sections located in the hilly mountain climate zone is affected particularly by spring extreme phenomena, especially heat waves; (3) the sections located in the Sichuan Basin climate zone is dominated by the extreme weather phenomena in autumn, except cold waves; (4) the occurrence frequency of potential flood risk events is relatively high under rainstorm conditions and wind gusts almost affect the navigation environment of the Jiangsu and Shanghai sections in every year; (5) the heat wave indices (TXx, TR, and WSDI) tend to increase and the temperature of the coldest day of the year gradually increases; (6) the high occurrences of IWT accidents need to be emphasized by relevant departments, caused by extreme weather during the dry season; and (7) the trends and the degree of attention of extreme weather events affecting IWT are ranked as: heat wave > heavy rainfall > wind gust > cold spell > storm. Understanding the seasonal and annual frequency of occurrence of extreme weather events has reference significance for regional management of the Yangtze River.

The geographical conditions of Colombia limit connectivity among regions, making communication between different areas of the country difficult. Although Colombia has a major waterway system that could facilitate regional communication, much of the territory is functionally disjointed, which is why the government and private operators seek to promote inland waterway transport and improve their safety. In the field of provision of waterway transport in inaccessible regions, this paper analyses the influence that perceptions of safety and comfort of the service have on the choice of river transport by passengers using hybrid choice models incorporating latent variables. The results of the hybrid choice model indicate that older workers attach less importance to the hull condition and safety; in turn, comfort is more valued by young workers and by those users who have a higher educational level. Variables such as the hull condition and how the boat is operated have a significant effect on the user perception of safety. Similarly, the results suggest that expanding the space between seats and developing strategies to improve the behaviour of other users significantly increase the perceived comfort of the service provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industries and ports services may represent - by attracting domestic and foreign investments, by creating jobs at local level - a catalyst for related activities of goods and services production. As a binder between national and external business area, Ports sector can contribute, through a multiplier effect, to support the economic development of the country. After analyzing the main statistical indicators for Ports activities in Romania, we concluded that there were some unfavourable developments, enhanced by global and financial crisis. The solution to stop these adverse developments could be a domestic or foreign capital infusion, in order to improve the efficiency of Ports activity, to meet the future challenges that European ports might face by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at analyzing the basic features of inland waterways transport and the current condition of the European inland waterways network for the purpose of determining the potential opportunities for their better integration into the Trans -- European transport network. The comparative advantages of the inland waterways transport in relation to other transport modes appearprimarly in terms of safety and environmental acceptability and that is why the European transport policy gives to the improvement of this way of transport, beside the rail transport, priority within the whole transport system. An adequate development of the inland waterways network in accordance with the development strategy is a necessary precondition set for the improvement of inland navigation in the Republic of Croatia, which, despite its natural potential, is of minor importance in the structure of the realised transport. The implemented SWOT analysis provides a good basis for defining the potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the inland navigation system in the Republic of Croatia so important for setting up intermodal transport chains in Europe. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to indicate the possibilities, advantages and importance of inland waterways transport in order to integrate different transport sectors aiming at achieving the development and sustainability of the European transport system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of extreme weather events on the navigation environment in the inland waterways of the Yangtze River is an interdisciplinary hotspot in subjects of maritime traffic safety and maritime meteorology, and it is also a difficult point for the implementation of decision-making and management by maritime and meteorological departments in China. The objective of this study is to review the variation trends and distribution patterns in the periods of adverse and extreme weather events that are expected to impact on inland waterways transport (IWT) on the Yangtze River. The frequency of severe weather events, together with the changes in their spatial extension and intensity, is analyzed based on the ERA-Interim datasets (1979–2017) and the GHCNDEX dataset (1979–2017), as well as the research progresses and important events (2004–2016) affecting the navigation environment. The impacts of extreme weather events on IWT accidents and phenomena of extreme weather (e.g., thunderstorms, lightning, hail, and tornadoes) that affect the navigation environment are also analyzed and discussed. The results show that: (1) the sections located in the plain climate zone is affected by extreme weather in every season, especially strong winds and heat waves; (2) the sections located in the hilly mountain climate zone is affected particularly by spring extreme phenomena, especially heat waves; (3) the sections located in the Sichuan Basin climate zone is dominated by the extreme weather phenomena in autumn, except cold waves; (4) the occurrence frequency of potential flood risk events is relatively high under rainstorm conditions and wind gusts almost affect the navigation environment of the Jiangsu and Shanghai sections in every year; (5) the heat wave indices (TXx, TR, and WSDI) tend to increase and the temperature of the coldest day of the year gradually increases; (6) the high occurrences of IWT accidents need to be emphasized by relevant departments, caused by extreme weather during the dry season; and (7) the trends and the degree of attention of extreme weather events affecting IWT are ranked as: heat wave > heavy rainfall > wind gust > cold spell > storm. Understanding the seasonal and annual frequency of occurrence of extreme weather events has reference significance for regional management of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]